Yes, it is very
possible for us to lose our salvation, to lose our way eternally. Our Lord
is crystal clear on this point in His many parables, as much as He is crystal
clear on the need for forgiveness and mercy. But the goal of God's justice is
not to separate us eternally but to restore us."
(By Father Dismas Sayre,
O.P. published in the July August 2025 issue of Light and Life entitled Is
God just, holy and merciful?)
We are often prone to despair and
self-pity. We are quick to abandon fundamental Truths when confronted with
adversity. We forget that we are the adopted children of God and think
that He has abandoned us. We don't believe that He has a
plan for our lives or that with Him all things are possible.
We refuse to
believe everything that God allows in our lives is intended to
assure our eternal salvation. So we avoid Him at all costs and go to
people, places and activities that can never make us truly happy. We convince
ourselves that we don't need God. We so despise ourselves that we hang our
heads low, fearful of seeing an image of ourselves in the glass panes of the
store fronts we walk by.
But we must look up. We must look into the cracked windows of our souls
so that we can see ourselves as God sees us - as unique, magnificent
treasures made in His image. Once we open our eyes to this Truth,
our lives will change. We will seek to see God in everyone else with whom we
interact, especially those whom the world consider "the least of us".
God doesn't make junk. He desires to
dwell within us here on this earth and to spend eternity with us in heaven -
that is why He created You.
So look up. See Jesus extending His
Holy Hands. Grab them. Hold onto them. There is no sin He will not forgive a repentant sinner. Keep your eyes on His and never again doubt how much He loves you - you whom he made in His image.
Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
There are two ways of knowing how good and loving God is. One is by never losing Him, through the preservation of innocence, and the other is by finding Him after one has lost Him. Repentance is not self-regarding, but God-regarding. It is not self-loathing, but God-loving. Christianity bids us accept ourselves as we really are, with all our faults and our failings and our sins. In all other religions, one has to be good to come to God—in Christianity one does not.
Christianity might be described as a 'come as you are' party. It bids us stop worrying about ourselves, stop concentrating on our faults and our failings, and thrust them upon the Savior with a firm resolve of amendment. The examination of conscience never induces despair, always hope…Because examination of conscience is done in the light of God’s love, it begins with a prayer to the Holy Spirit to illumine our minds. A soul then acts toward the Spirit of God as toward a watchmaker who will fix our watch. We put a watch in his hands because we know he will not force it, and we put our souls in God’s hands because we know that if he inspects them regularly they will work as they should…it is true that, the closer we get to God, the more we see our defects. A painting reveals few defects under candlelight, but the sunlight may reveal it as daub. The very good never believe themselves very good, because they are judging themselves by the Ideal. In perfect innocence each soul, like the Apostles at the Last Supper, cries out, 'Is it I, Lord' (Matt. 26:22).”
(An excerpt
from Peace of Soul)
“Many are heading straight on for purgatory. They live until their last hour, even though they are seriously ill, even on their deathbed, as if everything is all right. Exclusively directed to the earthly, they don’t think at all about calling upon the mercy of God. Although by doing so they would be spared at least a severe purgatory. For God is infinitely merciful for all who call upon Him and trust Him."
(An excerpt from The Interior Castle)
Pondering Tidbits of Truth is my simple and inadequate way of providing nuggets of spiritual wisdom for you to chew on from time to time.
Cardinal Francis Arinze
“The lay faithful as
parishioners are the people who are called upon to witness to Christ at the
level of the family, the place of work or recreation, in trade and commerce, in
politics and government, and in other social areas of daily life. From them, people
in society see what the parish is or should be.”
(From The
Evangelizing Parish)
St.
John Marie Vianney
“If a
priest is determined not to lose his soul as soon as any disorder arises in his
parish, he must trample underfoot all human considerations as well as the fear
of contempt and hatred of his people. He must not allow anything to bar his way
in the discharge of duty, even were he certain of being murdered on coming down
from the pulpit.”
(From The Curé d’Ars by François Trochu
Saint Philip Neri
“If a man finds it very hard to
forgive injuries, let him look at a Crucifix, and think that Christ shed all
His Blood for him, and not only forgave His enemies, but even prayed His
Heavenly Father to forgive them also. Let him remember that when he says the
Our Father, every day, instead of asking pardon for his sins, he is calling
down vengeance on himself.”
(From The Maxims and Sayings of St. Philip Neri)
Cardinal Francis Arinze
“The lay faithful as parishioners are the people who are called upon to witness to Christ at the level of the family, the place of work or recreation, in trade and commerce, in politics and government, and in other social areas of daily life. From them, people in society see what the parish is or should be.”
(From The
Evangelizing Parish)
St. Vincent de Paul
"I am sent not only to love God but to make Him loved. It is not enough for me to love God, if my neighbor does not love Him."
(From Always A Joy)
St. Philip Neri
“If a man finds it very hard to forgive injuries, let him look at a Crucifix, and think that Christ shed all His Blood for him, and not only forgave His enemies, but even prayed His Heavenly Father to forgive them also. Let him remember that when he says the Our Father, every day, instead of asking pardon for his sins, he is calling down vengeance on himself.”
Alice Von Hildebrand
“The saint is precisely he who lives in constant and intimate communion with God, he who does not allow anything or anyone to separate him from God, he who victoriously links to God everything happening to him, sickness or health, poverty or wealth, infamy or fame from Solitude and Communion.
Ven. Fulton J. Sheen
“The forgiveness of sin is a greater manifestation of the power of God than the creation of the world. Creation makes something out of nothing. Forgiveness puts something into nothing. But the forgiveness that opens paradise is obtained as the thief obtained his, namely by asking for it. "
"Our Lady never shouldered any undertaking or spoke serious words without first aligning herself in prayer with the Lord’s will. As you go through your day, remind yourself to consult God before you speak or act, asking Him what He would have you do or say."
(From Mary’s Mantle)
Pondering Tidbits of Truth is my simple and inadequate way of providing nuggets of spiritual wisdom for you to chew on from time to time.
Venerable Bruno Lanteri
"Do you find yourself turning inward, preoccupied by your anxieties and burdened by your failings? 'Instead of turning in on yourself, lift your gaze often with peace and love to God.' Often. With peace. With love. The less you focus on your failures and the more you gaze on the Lord with peace and love, the more your heart will lift, the stronger you will become, the more joy you will find. Tell Him that 'you want to be totally His' and, with boldness, tell Him that 'it is His to make you become better'!"
(From Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement - The Wisdom and Spiritual Power of Venerable Bruno Lanteri)
Mother Mectilde of the Blessed Sacrament
"Would to God that you could fathom the extreme and terrible evil that it is to sin. Oh! Sin, sin what harm you have done to us! Alas! Who will be able to repair your ruins? Jesus Christ alone has the power, the will, and the capacity for this, and He did it in a perfect manner through His blood and through His death. It is Jesus Christ who ransomed me and gave me back the possession of my rights. He redeems every moment of my life, because after committing one [mortal] sin, we deserve not only spiritual death, but bodily death too. And if God executed justice it would destroy us irretrievably.
Therefore, I owe Jesus Christ every moment of my life, all the operations of my soul's powers, all my time, all my work, all my ability, all my thoughts, in a word, the use of my senses and all my faculties. And as many acts are for myself or for creatures, these are so many thefts I perpetrate against the blood of God's Son. All is His, we are purchased at that inestimable price, and we have no right to use or spend our life’s moments except for His love and glory. Otherwise, we make a dreadful profanation of this precious blood and render ourselves guilty of it…
If a soul understood the
evil and abomination of one sin, she would have such a horror of it, that
however wicked she might be, she could not bring herself to commit it. You must
confess that our blindness is great and worthy of compassion."
(From The Breviary of Fire - Letters by Mother Mectilde of the Blessed Sacrament)
|
Lisa Brenninkmeyer “The Lord is inviting you to come and gaze into His eyes of mercy. He's offering you hope for a fresh start. Oh, I pray that the eyes of your heart would be enlightened, and that the darkness of shame would be chased away. Shame keeps your eyes cast down. But God is cupping your face in His hands and calling you to look up.” (From Be Still: A Daily Devotional) |
"The Eucharist is alive. If a stranger who knew nothing about the Eucharist were to watch the way we receive, would he know...
.jpg)
